Richard J. Arsenault

The Wall Street Journal has described Arsenault as having “national notoriety,” BusinessWeek described him as “a Dean of the Louisiana Tort Bar,” and The New York Times described him as one of the “big players” in the legal community. Arsenault has been an invited lecturer at various law schools including Baylor, Duke, Emory, University of Texas, Tulane, George Washington and LSU where he served on the Trial Advocacy faculty. He has been involved in over 25 Multidistrict Litigation proceedings, often serving in leadership capacities. He served as Lead Counsel in the Actos MDL where a jury rendered a $9 billion verdict. He subsequently served on the negotiating team that secured a $2.4 billion settlement, which is the largest single mass tort settlement for a drug that is still on the market. He was also appointed to the Pinnacle MDL Executive Committee and was a trial team member where three Bellwether trials resulted in $502 million, $1 billion and $247 million verdicts. Arsenault is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers as well as The Best Lawyers in America and has an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating. He has been recognized as one of America’s 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers by Trial Lawyer magazine, nominated for the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award by the Public Justice Foundation, and recognized by the National Law Journal as one of America’s Elite Trial Lawyers. Arsenault is a founding Board Director of the National Board of Complex Litigation Lawyers, a division of the National Board of Trial Advocacy. The American Bar Association recently approved the National Board Certification in Complex Litigation and Arsenault will become one of the first practitioners in the nation to be Board Certified in Complex Litigation. The Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice appointed Arsenault to serve on the Rules of Professional Conduct Class Action Committee, Bench Book Committee, and State MDL Exploratory Committee.

Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge

J.D. (1980)

State University of New York - Stony Brook

B.A. (1977)

Defendants Shop for Favorable Maritime Forums

Maritime Law Reporter

Maritime Gaming & Available Tort Remedies

Maritime Law Reporter

McDermott International, Inc. v. Wilander: The Supreme Court Casts Aside the Navigation Function Requirement

Maritime Law Reporter

Pre-Certification Discovery: A User’s Guide

Tulane Law Review

Mass Torts and Class Action Settlements

Trial Magazine

July, 2009

AV Rating

Martindale Hubbell

Achieved the highest possible rating

Super Lawyer

Louisiana Super Lawyers

Only 5% of attorneys statewide receive this award.

Named One of the Nation's Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers in America

Best Lawyers

Best in the U.S.

Nation's Top Verdicts

National Law Journal

Recognized for having one for securing a $21 million personal injury verdict for the victim of a plant explosion, one of the largest in the nation.

Louisiana Judicial College

Guest Lecturer

Current

Federal Fifth Circuit Judicial Conference

Guest Lecturer

Current

LSU Trial Advocacy Training Program

Faculty Member

Current

Alexandria Bar Association

Member/ Former President

Current

Crossroads Chapter of the American Inns of Court

Member/ Former President

Current

Colorado

Since 1991

District of Columbia

District of Columbia Bar

Since 1991

Louisiana

Since 1980

Texas

Since 1992

5th Circuit

Since 1981

11th Circuit

Since 1981

U.S. Supreme Court

Since 1984

• Contingent Fees
  No recovery/ No Fee or Costs

• Car Accidents
• Insurance Bad Faith
• Mass Torts/Complex Litigation
• Public Benefits